CVE-2024-50495
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows unauthenticated attackers to upload arbitrary files, including web shells, to WordPress servers running the vulnerable Plugin Propagator. This affects all WordPress sites using Plugin Propagator version 0.1 or earlier, potentially leading to complete server compromise.
💻 Affected Systems
- WidgiLabs Plugin Propagator WordPress plugin
📦 What is this software?
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete server takeover, data exfiltration, ransomware deployment, and use as attack platform for further network penetration.
Likely Case
Web shell upload leading to website defacement, data theft, and backdoor persistence on the server.
If Mitigated
File uploads blocked or restricted to safe types only, preventing malicious file execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Simple HTTP POST request with malicious file upload, widely available exploit code.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: None available
Vendor Advisory: https://patchstack.com/database/vulnerability/wp-propagator/wordpress-plugin-propagator-plugin-0-1-arbitrary-file-upload-vulnerability?_s_id=cve
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Immediately disable and remove the Plugin Propagator plugin. 2. Check for any uploaded malicious files. 3. Consider using alternative plugins with proper security controls.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Web Application Firewall (WAF) Rule
allBlock file upload requests to the vulnerable plugin endpoint
WAF specific - configure to block POST requests containing file uploads to /wp-content/plugins/propagator/
File System Permissions Restriction
linuxRemove write permissions from plugin upload directory
chmod -R 755 /path/to/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/propagator/
chown -R www-data:www-data /path/to/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/propagator/
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable the Plugin Propagator plugin immediately
- Implement strict file upload validation at web server level
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check WordPress admin panel > Plugins > Installed Plugins for 'Propagator' version 0.1 or earlierCheck Version:
wp plugin list --name=propagator --field=version (if WP-CLI installed)Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm plugin is deactivated or removed, and no suspicious files exist in wp-content/uploads/📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- POST requests to /wp-content/plugins/propagator/ with file uploads
- Unusual file creations in wp-content/uploads/ with .php, .jsp, .asp extensions
Network Indicators:
- HTTP POST requests with multipart/form-data to plugin paths
- Unexpected outbound connections from web server
SIEM Query:
source="web_server" AND (uri_path="/wp-content/plugins/propagator/" AND method="POST" AND content_type="multipart/form-data")